People in New Zealand have something to watch out for. All brands and shipment of imported frozen berries are potentially at risk of spreading Hepatitis A, according to the Ministry of Primary Industries. The ministry is doing everything they can to identify the risk associated with imported frozen berries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, after 4 people already fell ill.
People are already asking if they should be worried and what does it all mean?
A surveillance program has already been launched by the MPI. There is a "potential risk" and fortunately, there is no product recall- yet. Anyone who is concerned should just avoid having berries, especially the elderly people and those people who have liver disease. The ministry has already issued a notice indicating that the advised incubation period can take up to 50 days.
Anything else I can do?
Well, since one of the ways to kill the Hepatitis bacteria is through introducing heat, you can boil your frozen berries. This may not give you the berry yumminess, but it'll keep you safe. You can also cook it at 85 degrees centigrade for a minute, since washing won't remove the risk.
Can I eat fresh or organic berries?
Yes, since the MPI's investigation did not implicate fresh produce.
What about smoothies? What about my morning smoothie?!
Again, the MPI stated that anything commercially produced should be safe and fine. They advised that commercially prepared products are normally heat-treated. The risk however for smoothies and juices from frozen produce are the same if it's done at home. So make sure that you boil or cook the berries before making anything from it.
What are the supermarkets saying?
Countdown (Progressive Enterprises) says that they have been testing all their products, both fresh and frozen. The Select and Signature brands are labelled according to its country of origin, and there have been no reports of any illness connected with these brands.
Countdown also stated that their first and utmost priority is always the health and safety of all their customers and as part of their quality assurance program, the Select and Signature Range are tested regularly for full range of chemical and microbiological contaminants, including salmonella, e-coli, and listeria. The company's berries are sourced from New Zealand, Chile, Canada, the United States, Argentina and Europe.
